ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · snap · sharp · can · spell · straw · pit · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ball — a great time
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — part of the head
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — a short time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — magic
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pit — in a race
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. snap — to click
  24. pit — a hole

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com